Neutralizing antibodies, whether generated through vaccination or produced as monoclonal antibodies, are pivotal tools for stopping viral infections. Determining the neutralizing capability of biologic molecules is a critical parameter.
Current methods, such as PRNT, sVNT or PNA, can assess the ability of antibodies or small molecules to neutralize viruses. However, current methods are either labor-intensive, slow, highly variable or difficult to implement due to biosafety requirements. As a result, these assays are difficult to establish in a quality-controlled setting.
Virus-like particles (VLPs) are virus-derived structures made up of one or more different molecules that can self-assemble. They mimic the size and shape of a viral particle but lack the genetic material necessary for infectivity. By targeting VLPs to specific cell types through pseudotyping or by incorporating attachment proteins from the virus of interest (such as the Spike protein of SARS-CoV-2), one can effectively assess viral attachment and entry into target cells, thereby determining the level of neutralization.
The SARS-CoV-2 HiBiT-PsVLP Bioassay is a bioluminescent reporter cell-based assay used to measure the neutralization capacity of ligands or antibodies that bind and block viral entry. This simple, convenient and safe bioassay overcomes many limitations of the existing methods for determining neutralizing activity.